Question

“閱讀理解”模塊

　　It’s a classic image－a child hiding her head in her mother’s skirts when she meets a stranger, or a student becoming speechless with a red face when the teacher asks his name．The person must be shy．You may be shy yourself．But shyness isn’t that common, right? Wrong．

　　　　1　　 It’s just that most people are shy privately．They appear confident on the surface, and in social situations they seem well adjusted．Only 15 to 20 percent of us fit the stereotype of the shy person－someone who is obviously uncomfortable with other people．

　　　　2　　 “It’s a feeling of self-consciousness,” says Rita Clark, a psychologist．“Shy people feel nervous and ill at ease．They may tremble, feel their hearts pounding, and have butterflies in the stomach．They worry about making a bad impression on people．” Shyness doesn’t necessarily show on the surface．In fact, people sometimes think that shy people are cold and uninterested in other people when really they just afraid to meet them．

　　You may be surprised to know who is actually very shy．One well-known talk-show host, whose show is watched by millions of viewers, has to plan performance down to the last detail－in order to appear easy-going and confident! 　　3　　“Other ‘privately shy’ people include politicians, teachers, and entertainers,” says Rita．“These people act outgoing when they’re doing their jobs, but they’re very unconfident socially．You’d be amazed how many public figures fit into this type．”

　　Where does shyness come from? Research shows that some people are born shy．About 20 percent of babies show a strong feeling of unease when they see strangers or find themselves in unfamiliar situations．Some scientists feel that such shyness is born．“Shy parents are more likely to have shy children than outgoing parents,” Rita says．“　　4　　 We know that Japanese students are much shyer than Israeli students．”

　　If 15 to 20 percent of shyness is innate, how do other people become shy? Children may become shy when they enter school or meet new challenges．Adolescents may suffer from an identity crisis and become shy．Adults can become shy when confronted by problems like divorce or job loss．Whatever the reasons, shy people suffer from teasing and well-meaning comments like, “Has the cat got your tongue?” They are often lonely and unhappy in social situations．

　　But scientists say there is hope for shyness．Whether you are born shy or made shy, with patience and practice, you will be able to quiet the butterflies in your stomach．

第一節：根據短文內容，從A、B、C、D和E中選出最適合填入短文空缺處的選項。選項中有一項是多余選項。

A．What exactly is shyness?

B．And shyness can be culturally determined．

C．Shy people get rejected sometimes in social situations．

D．But he seldom meets people socially because he is too shy．

E．Shyness probably affects 40 to 50 percent of all people in North America．

第二節：根據短文所給信息，用一個完整的句子回答下列問題。

5．What does the underlined part in the last paragraph mean?

_____________________

Answer 1

答案：
解析：

1．E　2．A　3．D　4．B　5．You will be able to/can overcome/conquer/get over your shyness/uneasy feelings/nervousness